With space activities expanding at an unprecedented rate, driven in part by a growing number of commercial players, space logistics is becoming increasingly critical to ensure the sustainable use of space. Space logistics encompasses a range of activities, including the remote maintenance of satellites in orbit, delivering supplies to space stations and satellites—possibly in the future to lunar and Martian habitats—and efforts to address the growing problem of space debris. The key issues that need to be addressed related to space logistics are the dual-use nature of rendezvous and proximity operations (RPOs), their consequences in terms of space debris, and the sustainability and governance of the arena.
RPOs, which are civilian and peaceful, form a critical component of space logistics, but they also raise new challenges. Given the current geopolitical context, security concerns regarding RPOs have been growing. States don't feel confident that technologies designed to remove space debris could not also be used in disruptive ways, such as damaging or interfering with satellites that belong to others. Such dual-use capabilities raise questions about intent: are they solely for peaceful purposes, or could they be employed with malicious intent? For example, the manner in which China has used its fishing fleet and maritime militia can be expected to be replicated in outer space activities in which civilian activities are used as a cover for offensive and aggressive behaviour.
There are currently no internationally agreed upon rules of engagement governing RPOs. This is a gap that will be exploited by various space actors if not addressed. Developing norms and even adopting an ethical approach to RPOs in order to beef up the safety, security and sustainability of space should become a priority for all stakeholders, including commercial actors, who stand to lose even more than state actors. And developing norms or rules before major incidents occur would also reduce the likelihood of governments lurching the other way, from no rules to complete constraint.
